Pandora's Box
by Ethan D. Croft
Summary: This is an account of how the Nephilim made pandora's box from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and became the Guardians of Atlantis. Please, R&R...I live near the ocean, so flamers, good luck!
1. Prologue: The Splitting

Prologue

The Splitting

"If you eat of this fruit, you shall not die, but have wisdom of the angels. You will have wisdom of right and wrong." The serpent was saying. "You will have all of the knowledge of God. Are you sure you don't want that gift?"

"But God did say not to even touch this tree. I do desire this wisdom, but how do I know that I can trust what you say over God?" The woman asked, twirling her lustrous red hair around her finger. " I mean, really, if God said to do something, then I really should think about his reasoning."

"But God doesn't want to share his wisdom with anyone. The angels had to fight him for it, and didn't gain it but through the fruit of this tree." The serpent said, undulating around the woman's legs. "Let's just face the fact that God is selfish and just wants you to be ignorant about him. But if you eat the fruit from this tree, you will know the truth about God, and have all wisdom of the earth."

The woman, whose name was Eve, thought about this. It did make sense. After all, why would God tell her and her man, Adam, not to eat the fruit from this tree, and only this tree. Then he had told Adam and Eve, herself, the moment they touched the fruit of this tree that they would die. _Well,_ she thought, _God really doesn't care about our well being. Instead, he just probably wants to see if we fall for his tricks, and when we do, he'll be laughing his heart out._

"Eve," It was Adam, the man. "Eve, where are you." He sounded out of breath and worried. "There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you. You said you'd meet me at the pond by midday, and now it's almost evening. What have you been doing for this long?"

Eve glanced up at the sky, suddenly realizing that she had been gone since midmorning. "I followed this serpent into the heart of the garden. He said that there was something that we needed to see, and that once I came here, I would be able to go and meet you. Then, once I met up with you, I could bring you back and show you." She said matter-of-factly. "Well now that you found me, I don't need to look for you, now do I?"

Adam looked around. Something just didn't seem right, but he couldn't put a finger on it. The part of Eden they were in was familiar enough, but was somehow the wrong place to be all the same. Adam shrugged off the feeling of unease.

"Eve, I really don't think we should be here," he reached his hand out for hers. "Come on, let's take a walk and talk things through."

"No Adam. This feels right to me. I don't care what you do or say, I'm going to stay."

Adam finally placed what was wrong. The serpent was trying to get Eve to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

"Eve, don't eat that fruit. If you don't do it for me, do it for yourself."

"God only wants us to stay away from it because he doesn't want us to know as much as he does." She countered. "The angels weren't able to receive wisdom from God by asking. Instead, they had to eat from this tree. If God didn't even want his angels to know anything, what makes him so good? What makes him so pure and everything?" Anger drained her face of all color.

As Eve reached for the forbidden fruit, the serpent slithered around the tree. Adam watched despairingly as she plucked a piece of fruit from the tree and took a bite. The fruit's juice dripped like blood from her mouth and hand. He watched as she took two more bites, each time feeling a hunger for the knowledge she had hinted at.

"Let me try some." Adam said extending his hand.

Eve put what was left of the fruit in his hand. Taking a bite, he felt as though some great wave of power was surging to his head. It felt both exhilarating and frightening all at the same time. Hungry for more, he took bite after bite, until there was no more.

At the exact second that Eve had made her decision, there occurred a rip in the universe. That rip turned into another universe, another reality. That rift in space and time made one branch. But what other branches would occur throughout time.

Adam looked around. He felt as though he were about to experience an event of disastrous proportions. Something just didn't seem right, but he couldn't put a finger on it. The part of Eden they were in was familiar enough, but was somehow the wrong place to be all the same. Adam shrugged off the feeling of unease.

"Eve, I really don't think we should be here," he reached his hand out for hers. "Come on, let's take a walk and talk things through."

"Now that you mention it, something tells me that we should stay as far away from this area as we can." She turned to the serpent. "You almost had me tricked into giving into what Jehovah told us not to do. For that you will be sorry, just you wait and see." She turned her head and walked away, leaving a confused Adam to follow in her wake.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Racing through the labyrinthine hallways that made up the university, I glanced over my shoulder. I saw nothing, but I knew that they couldn't be far behind-I could hear them around the last several turns that I had made. The growls and yipping echoing in the deserted corridors encouraged me to keep going, no matter what.

Still running, I came to an intersecting corridor. I was confused; I didn't know which way to turn. Should I go to the left, toward the athletic department; should I go right to the media center, or should I just continue straight ahead to the performing arts complex? Having only a split second to decide, I took a gamble. I headed straight ahead. Stairs leading to a tunnel to the stage were about ten yards in front of me. Sprinting forward, I reached them, and raced down them as fast as I could. Seeing the bottom of the stairs directly ahead, I leaped the last several steps and landed catlike on the lower landing.

Ninety yards away, at the other end of the tunnel, I could see the door the prop storage room. That would be the portal to my refuge. I could still hear the creatures, the things let loose by madness, coming after me. The noise they made should have made my blood curdle but instead, it gave me energy to run. Racing the last fifty yards through dim lighting and mad echoes, I finally reached the door.

Frantically, I tried to pull it open but it wouldn't open. Tried to turn the knob, and pull, again it wouldn't open. Glancing up in a silent prayer, I saw the hinges were going the wrong way to pull the door. Taking a chance, I pushed and it gave.

I slipped inside the props room and slammed the door just in time to hear the things outside reach the lower landing. As they raced toward the door, I fumbled with the locks and security codes. I finished with the first one as the creatures crashed against the door, one by one. After several minutes, I had all of the locks secured and the security code for that section activated.

Taking a moment to rest, I looked around the room. It was roughly thirty feet wide by about seventy feet long. Right now, the only props were the smaller ones, used for the one act plays, smaller performances and talent shows. I continued walking toward the double doors at the other end of the room, looking around for some sort of weapon, anything to arm myself against the monsters lurking outside. There was a tool bench along one of the walls. Lying among the tools were a hammer, nail gun, battery-powered screwdriver, and a pry-bar.

I took the pry-bar and nail gun, as they seemed to be the best chance that I had of defending myself against the monsters outside, and resumed walking toward the backstage doors. Since I had activated the security for that section of the university, I typed in my password. The light turned green and the doors unlocked, letting me through.

Entering the backstage wings, I took in my surroundings. The only light was from the skylights sixty feet above the rear stage, giving the area a very ethereal feeling. The main performance area was set up for the Shakespeare play Macbeth. Walking across, I saw movement in the auditorium. Taking a second glance, I saw other people crowded in the back trying to keep out of sight.

"Is that you Lysander?" I heard a voice from the front of the crowd. I squinted through the darkness, trying to find the source of the voice, but it was to dark to see who it was. "Over here! I'm trying to activate the alarm," I saw a hand waving to get my attention.

"Is that you Becca?"

"Yes. Oh, I'm so glad you made it. What are those things chasing us? Did they catch anyone? How did you manage to escape? Did you activate the locks? Did Xandi make it? Where did those—"

"Whoa, slow down. One question at a time," I held my hands up to try and slow her down. "Now do you have your pass card?"

"Yes, I do." She handed it over. "Could you answer a couple of my questions while we're all here, waiting?"

I slid her card and mine simultaneously. "I'll do my best to answer. What do you want to know," I asked as I punched in the master codes. "Remember, I can only answer so much." The lights flashed, verifying that the silent alarm was sounding to the emergency services.

"What were those things, where did they come from, and how did they get here? That is what I really want to know."

"Those questions, I can answer. You will find some of these things hard to believe, but you will have to try."

"After what I have seen today, I think that I will be able to grasp the concepts." She replied.

"Well here it goes. Do any of you remember the theory of alternate realities?" There was a murmur in the group as people answered. "Well for those of you that don't know, the theory is that whenever an event that could change history happens another universe is created. Now these other universes make up the "multiverse", or "macroverse". So let's take the Titanic. This event would have branches to other universes. Those universes would have been created from that point of the decisions made by the captain and crew of the Titanic.

"Let's assume that in these other realities the Titanic may never have sunk, or never hit any iceberg. Or maybe a thousand more lives may have been saved when it sank." I explained looking around. Outside, in the hallways and empty rooms, the chaotic din of the monsters was getting more frenzied.

"I think we should move to the stage instead of here in the seats." Someone said nervously. "I mean, at least that area we seem to be at an advantage."

"I agree," someone else replied. "We're all sitting ducks anywhere, but at least we'll have more of an advantage up there."

By common consent, we all moved to the stage as a strangled howl broke the nervous calm that had seemed to come over the group. A pregnant silence ensued as we all listened, bracing ourselves for the next surprise.

As we waited onstage, I absentmindedly pulled out my cell phone. Surprised, I noticed that I had service here. I dialed the number to the local SWAT team that the city had on standby. After a brief conversation with the commanding officer, I hung up.

After waiting for over two hours with baited breath and not saying much of anything, there was a dull thumping sound coming from outside. We huddled together afraid of what was to come. The sound gradually grew louder as each minute passed.

"What is that?"

"Is it more monsters?"

"It's the end of the world!"

"No, listen. That's a rescue team. They're going to try and break in through the skylights," I explained to everyone the situation. "Those creatures were from a curse put on a box that was opened in the archeology and anthropology department. There have been other reports throughout the city of strange, terrifying things happening—other strange creatures attacking, fires, and strange sicknesses—all occurring within the past twenty-four hours.

"The rescue team informed me that it may be safer here than anywhere else, but they will take those who do not feel safe here." I looked around. "Is there anyone in this group that would feel safer staying here?"

"You mentioned that those things happening in the city and here in the university came from a cursed box. Could you please elaborate a little bit, before we make our decisions?" Kim asked. The blonde law student was clearly in need of more information before she decided to stay or to go. "You started to explain to us what was happening and then you were cut off. I think that you should be given a chance to finish."

There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. How could I discover something this vital to history, science, and religion, and not share any of it with anyone. "Okay, let me remember where I was before I was interrupted."

"You were telling us about the different universes that you said made up something called the multiverse, or something like that." Someone chimed in.

"Okay, I'll finish telling you while we wait." I took a breath, closed my eyes and tried to figure out how to tell them. "Do you remember the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? The moment they made their decision to take the forbidden fruit was the moment that the universe split, creating two universes." I paused, pacing across the stage, letting this sink in.

"Are you saying that you believe that religious bullshit?" The question came from Cameron Lewis, one of the most stubborn biology and earth sciences students around. One thing was for sure, I did have to admit he was one of the best students that I have ever seen. "I mean, come on now. If religion and all that crap were true, then why doesn't every culture have the same religion?" Another reason he was such a good student—his ability to have a presentable debate, anyplace at any time.

I continued to pace the stage, taking in the surroundings. The cast and crew for the university's production were there, along with several other students and professors. I mentally took a head count. About thirty people were there, most were probably scared out of their minds, and others were probably in a strong stage of shock and surprise. The light from the fading sunset was still coming through the skylights above us, giving the stage a feeling even more disquieting by the minute. The set of the castle seemed the perfect set for out situation. The stones that had been painted onto the walls seemed a little too real, the windows and doorways looked like portals into an unknown realm.

I glanced back toward Cameron, considered his question and answered. "Throughout history there has been only one word that is universal throughout the world, and that word is god. Whether it was one supreme being, or many deities of different natures, that word is used by every culture and people. Whether or not they were one and the same, or different, they had a head deity that led the others. In the Christian beliefs, there is God and his angels. In ancient Greece, there was the king of the gods, Zeus, followed by the other gods. In Egypt and Rome, there were many gods, but only one of them was held above the others.

"So you see throughout history there has always been at least one god to lead people. Not only was there a god or gods, but there was an afterlife." I stopped, looked around to see if anyone would continue the debate that Cameron had started, and when no one continued I started up the stairs of the set, to the balcony set in the castle walls.

The sun had finally set. The room, bathed in a purple glow from the clouds above, gave off the feeling of being in a place of great mystery and oppression. From the balcony I could see the entire auditorium and the main stage.

As I was getting ready to tell everyone what the creatures that had us trapped were, every alarm that the campus had went off, sounding out through the night. The next thing we knew, the skylights were being forced open and a S.W.A.T. team dropped ropes down and then lowered themselves into the darkened room.

"Where is the person who made the rescue call?" A short, stocky man demanded.

I stepped forward. "Sir, I'm the one that made the call. I didn't know what else to do, and I'm sure you know what's happening." I lowered my voice and leaned forward. "Not everyone on campus has been so lucky, Thomas. The Nephilim offspring have spread rapidly, and recuperated from hibernation with even more speed than before. I'm afraid that the box was the key to waking them up."

"Well," he said, giving a quick glance around. "Let's make sure that everyone who isn't already dead is taken care of." Thomas turned to the others. "If any of you do not feel safe staying here, my men will assist you to your homes. After you arrive, they will post lookouts to keep you from being attacked by any creature."


	3. Chapter 2

Guardians of Atlantis

Chapter Two

Commanding Officer Thomas Borlock gave me an appraising look as I explained everything that had happened to lead up to these events. After making sure everyone was safely extracted from the university, Borlock's team contained the creatures in the most secure areas of the university. It took several hours, but after excruciating time reviewing security footage of the lab and the rest of the campus, we acted as bait and tempted them.

After we were finished, I invited Borlock into my office and we exchanged thoughts over a strong pot of coffee. As I explained my work here and in the field, I opened up a pack of cigarettes and offered him one.

"Since when did you smoke? I thought it got in the way of your physical demands," he said taking a long drag. "You were the one who was telling me to quit four years ago in Turkey."

"I only need this to calm my nerves, and nothing calms me like a smoke over a cup of coffee." I inhaled deeply and chased the smoke down with a sip of my heavily creamed coffee. Tonight, I was glad that we had become friends.

Unknown to me, Thomas had been following my work as an archaeologist for some time, trailing me wherever my research led me. He had been my best friend ever since a very fateful excursion to Egypt seven years ago. It was there that he had spied me in one of the libraries of Alexandria. As I was searching through the histories, I came across a journal from the British General, Sir Charles Gordon.

It was in his writings that I found out about a temple that he had just discovered. After the discovery, something went terribly wrong and only three out of some twenty people survived. Of these three, Gordon and his lieutenant were on the same side. The third survivor had made it known that he would make sure that Gordon and his army would not live to go back to Brittan. This third survivor's name was Muhammad Ahmad, and was known throughout history as the Mahdi, or the Expected One of the Islam belief.

What I had found in that journal both excited and terrified me. It contained history previously unknown to the modern world. The histories contained information about objects of extreme power such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Spear of Destiny, and Pandora's Box, just to name a few. The information also included an insight to a reputedly mythical race of beings known as the Nephilim. Gordon's journal also held directions on how to get to a temple of unknown origin.

I therefore made my journey to the temple, accompanied only by my life partner, Scott Woodley, who had assisted me in my most treacherous journeys. We took only the minimal equipment and Gordon's journal. Meanwhile, Borlock was secretly following us.

We traveled night and day along the Nile, stopping only for rest and food. For a week we traveled in this manner.

- 2 -


End file.
